Computer upgrades cut jobless claims

Number falls below 300K for first time since 2006

7:30 PM,
Sep. 12, 2013

Applicants attend a job and career fair last month at Columbia University in New York. The number of those applying for jobless benefits dropped, the Labor Department reported Friday, but computer glitches were behind the decrease.

Written by

Rodney Brooks
| USA TODAY

The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits fell below 300,000 for the first time since 2006, but the government attributed the surprising plunge to computer-related delays instead of a sudden improvement in the labor market.

Initial claims dropped by 31,000 to a seasonally adjusted 292,000 in the week ended Sept. 7, the Labor Department said Thursday. But the department said two states, which were not identified, made changes to their computer systems that resulted in some claims not being processed in time.

The level of claims may have also been affected by the shorter workweek ...